It’s always very gratifying when a non-kosher restaurant becomes kosher, especially when it’s Benny Hadayag, a long-established fish restaurant in the Herzliya Marina.
I heard the good news from my companion who has a skipper’s license and sails every week in the Mediterranean with friends. I suspect they do more eating and talking than actual sailing, and probably cover very few maritime yards.
No matter, the moment I heard Benny Hadayag had seen the light, we booked for a Sunday lunch.
The place is spacious and rather stark, with wooden tables and no tablecloths but white linen napkins. A white marble wall in the distance brightens the décor.
'We wanted to keep Shabbat; it’s that simple'
Rina, Benny’s daughter and the restaurant manager, took care of us.
First, we asked about the decision to become kosher, which we applauded.
“We wanted to keep Shabbat; it’s that simple,” she said. “My father goes out every day into the sea and whatever he catches is on the menu that evening and the next day.”
The restaurant has moved around a lot over its 30-year existence: it’s been in Jaffa and Tel Aviv port. But now it seems to have found a permanent home in Herzliya, where diners can be sure of eating the freshest fish ever served.
We left the choice of menu to Rina, and the first dish to arrive was a massive green salad with saffron-flavored pear slices, caramelized walnuts, and a light lemony dressing (Paradise Salad, NIS 72).
It was far too much to make more than a dent in it, but hinted at what was to come: fresh and creative ideas turning ordinary dishes into something special.
Next to appear was a cigar dish filled with chopped fish, which we were told was sea bass. On the side were small dishes of tahini and harissa for dipping. Harissa is a red sauce made from chili peppers and garlic that can be quite overpowering, but this was acceptable and enhanced the very crispy fried cigars with their savory filling (NIS 67).
A plate of fried eggplant topped with avocado arrived next, and this was very special. It was slightly sweet and spicy at the same time. It turns out the marinade was made from sake, a Japanese alcoholic drink. No wonder it tasted so original – and good!
We were served another hors d’oeuvre: tuna carpaccio, with olive oil, ikra, and capers (NIS 94). This was thinly sliced raw fish, which tasted somewhat bland, served with ikra (fish eggs) on the side, which was very salty, so the two complemented each other perfectly.
Finally, a plate of thinly sliced gravlax, topped with capers and a salad of sliced fennel, ended the array of starters we had sampled. The blending of flavors was impeccable.
The main course was a platter with a whole baked sea bass alongside sweet and regular potatoes (NIS 155-165). The head and bones were ceremoniously removed by the maitre’d with quite a flourish. We did our best to do justice to this superb specimen, although we could barely move.
To drink alongside this exceptional meal, I felt only my favorite Chardonnay would do, but in the end I had to make do with Chenin Blanc, which was a worthy substitute.
Several enticing desserts are available in the NIS 59-61 range. We couldn’t even consider sharing one.
Hot drinks are in the NIS 16-18 category, but again we decided we had no need and said our farewells, having enjoyed this outstanding culinary experience.
Benny HaDayag
1 Yordei Yam
Herzliya Marina
Phone: (09) 9557387
Hours: Sun.-Thurs., noon to midnight; Fri., 12-3 p.m.; Sat., after Shabbat-midnight
Kashrut: Badatz Beit Yosef
The writer was a guest of the restaurant.